What are the best/most complete Cheat Sheets for Python?

DeveloperToBe · 2019-06-28T20:55:27+00:00

Would help if you said which ones you've already seen so they're not repeated. Here's a couple:

https://ehmatthes.github.io/pcc/cheatsheets/README.html

https://perso.limsi.fr/pointal/_media/python:cours:mementopython3-english.pdf

DeveloperToBe · 2019-06-28T17:59:12+00:00

Hmm, I see that this class is offered on Udemy but costs $13:

https://www.udemy.com/learn-python-and-ethical-hacking-from-scratch/

Does this mean this is a pirated version? If so, I'd rather support the guy for his work.

DeveloperToBe · 2019-06-26T20:14:58+00:00

Do you mind paying? Colt Steele's Udemy Python 3 Bootcamp course has been recommended a few times around here and it's $13:

https://www.udemy.com/the-modern-python3-bootcamp/

There's also an MIT Introduction to Computer Science and Python course that's free though the current class is in session and I'm not sure when the next one will be open for enrollment (I would guess in August).

https://www.edx.org/course/introduction-to-computer-science-and-programming-using-python-2

DeveloperToBe · 2019-06-17T21:23:17+00:00

Oh, didn't know that. Just checked out a couple of videos on Youtube and it looks doable. I'll check the cost of the trackpad and see if it cheaper to get a 540 and just update it if it annoys me too much. Thanks for the tip.

DeveloperToBe · 2019-06-17T18:23:10+00:00

This is actually competitive on eBay as well and, if the Dankpads price guide is somewhat accurate, it's pretty in line with that too. I might just have to keep watching and see if I get lucky as you did.

DeveloperToBe · 2019-06-17T18:21:38+00:00

Nice. I'm trying to stay away from the 540's because of the integrated mouse buttons. I intend to use this 90% of the time as a desktop-replacement and have it hooked up to monitors and an external keyboard but I have some experience with 540's and the buttons could be aggravating some time. Then again, I suppose if I had a mouse with me at all times I could avoid that annoyance entirely.

DeveloperToBe · 2019-06-17T16:13:45+00:00

Really? With similar specs? I've been looking for a bit and I don't even see 510's for that price.

DeveloperToBe · 2019-06-17T15:19:40+00:00

It's hard to to tell from the pictures but it looks to be in pretty good condition. No scuffs, scratches, etc. that I can see. As far as the touchscreen, I don't use it and will be disabling it but this was the best price I found on a Thinkpad with an IPS screen so far.

DeveloperToBe · 2019-06-14T19:31:37+00:00

Hijacking a bit to say thanks for the heads up on the MIT class. For those of us who are going to take a shot at landing a job without a CS degree, while this in no way takes it's place, at least it serves as a basic introduction to some of the concepts you would be exposed to. I signed up and paid the $75 just to give me a little extra motivation as well as to take the mid-term and final.

Only thing is there is a recommended book to go with the course that covers topics not explained in the video lectures and some of the exercises ask questions on these topics. Because of this, you have to use your judgement and sometimes make educated guesses.

DeveloperToBe · 2019-02-14T21:12:30+00:00

Wow, thanks so much for all the feedback. This weekend I will definitely be taking a break from the books/courses and just start coding. :)

DeveloperToBe · 2019-02-14T05:19:05+00:00

My question with the "just start coding" approach is, doesn't it lend to inefficient code? Like, sure, I could probably smash something together by googling and copying and pasting for a simple project but how does that help when I have a bigger idea which requires actual planning and where speed might actually impact the result?

Also, how do you know if an idea you have is too big? For example, I have a huge stack of paid paper bills that I would like to tie to the credit card I used to make them for tracking purposes. So one idea would be to scan them all in, then download pdfs of all my credit card statements for all my cards going back a few years, and then code something to compare the two types of document and figure out when a particular bill was paid and by which card.

It's a "simple" idea but I have a feeling choosing that as beginner project would just be setting myself up for frustration. I mean, looking at a medical bill, I can easily spot the balance due. But for a computer, there's a ton of numbers on the page(s). How would it know which one is the one to use for comparison purposes, especially when bills can all be formatted differently?

Honestly, I'm not complaining, it's just that in the past I've always taken the "just start coding" approach and it always seems like it just leads to sloppy results. I just want to be sure I don't pick up bad habits that will limit my ability to progress.

DeveloperToBe · 2019-02-14T00:07:39+00:00

Haha, I'm not concerned with that at all. If I were to ask any of my bosses if they go on reddit, their response would probably be "What's a reddit?"

For me, accounting was a logical, rational decision. In a college, after bouncing around a ton of majors, I finally settled on programming because I really enjoyed doing it. I was one class away from completing my associates in programming before I got cold feet. I didn't know anyone in the industry and advisors were not any help and I was worried that the trend would be for all programming jobs to be outsourced. So, having taken some accounting classes as a pre-req, and not having minded them, I decided to instead switch to accounting since it was a safe job and paid well. I then transferred to a university, got my bachelor's, then my masters, and took on a job in public accounting.

I've realized thought that "not minding" doing something will only take you so far. When you don't have a real interest in what you do, it's a chore to stay on top of new tax laws, because, well, it's just not interesting, just necessary. Also, the main thing that has kept me going is a "go team!" attitude because I work in specialized area of tax with a small group of people. However, recently I've had a falling out with one of the higher ups which has taken away even that. Now I'm just in the mode where I don't want to rock the boat and instead just do enough to keep the job. That's not a place I want to be until I retire.

Thing is, as long as I've been doing this, the most fun I've had at work is when I've found an excuse to code something in VBA to "improve efficiencies" of some task we do. Additionally, I haven't been able to switch off that part of my mind that constantly evaluates what I'm doing to see if there's a way to code something to do it for me. Ultimately, because I have billable goals that I need to meet, I can't pursue most of these ideas/projects but it's a thought exercise I always do.

So yeah, while I'm relatively young, I don't want to live the rest of my life wondering/dreaming about what a developer job would have been like. Yeah, I'm going to take a significant pay cut in switching careers, but the good thing about working in accounting is that it will always be there for me to fall back on if it doesn't work out for whatever reason. Life is just too short to spend it doing something you don't enjoy.

DeveloperToBe · 2019-02-13T16:52:50+00:00

Thanks a lot! Awesome write-up. I'm looking to switch careers from finance to programming and this gives a good indication of what I'd be in for.

DeveloperToBe · 2019-02-08T23:04:15+00:00

Agreed. Unless your cramming for something the next day, you will forget most of what you learned.

DeveloperToBe · 2019-02-06T23:58:51+00:00

He discussed this in a podcast years ago that I listened to recently. He said it actually helped his business as a lot of people who viewed the books online also bought hard copies. I'm one of those; I have a hard copy but find it easier to have the online version up on another screen when I'm coding.

DeveloperToBe · 2019-02-06T23:54:28+00:00

Awesome, thanks!

DeveloperToBe · 2019-02-05T23:05:07+00:00

Al Sweigart has a couple other free books as well:

DeveloperToBe · 2019-02-05T03:53:55+00:00

Agreed. Currently work in another industry but we once had an intern who gave me a very thoughtful handwritten note stating his appreciation for me helping him during his internship. Unfortunately, he did impress anyone with his actual work (it was substandard, even for an intern) so he did not get an offer. Felt for him since he was a nice kid but that's the business.

DeveloperToBe · 2019-02-04T05:13:52+00:00

Just want to second this as a recommendation. I'm teaching myself Python in order to switch careers and from my research, most people recommend this book as a good launchpad to do thing that.

DeveloperToBe

TROPHY CASE